Ahmed Midhat Sefik Pasha was an Ottoman politician, reformist and statesman.
27 Facts About Midhat Pasha
Midhat Pasha was the author of the Constitution of the Ottoman Empire.
Midhat Pasha was noted as a kingmaker and leading Ottoman democrat.
Midhat Pasha was part of a governing elite which recognized the crisis the Empire was in and considered reform to be a dire need.
Ahmed Midhat Sefik Pasha was born in Istanbul in the Islamic month of Safar in 1238 AH, which began on 18 October 1822.
Midhat Pasha's father, Ruscuklu Mehmed Esref, was a native of Ruse.
Midhat Pasha spent his youth in his parents' home in Vidin, Lovech and later Istanbul, where his father held judicial office.
Midhat Pasha was governor of the Danube Province from 1864 to 1868.
Midhat Pasha clashed with the Grand Vizier Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha, which led to his appointment as governor of Baghdad in 1869, as the appointment to such a remote posting was intended as a punishment.
Midhat Pasha emphasized reforming the Sixth Army, and to that end he opened military schools.
Midhat Pasha helped modernize the province, and he re-established Ottoman rule in al-Hasa.
Midhat Pasha enacted the vilayet system in Baghdad, and applied the 1858 land decree under which miri land could be granted to individuals, under a system known as nizam tapu.
Midhat Pasha left the post in 1872, returning to Istanbul.
Midhat Pasha served as Minister of Justice in 1873 and 1875, but his tenure in these offices was short-lived, owing to his inclination towards a constitutional regime.
The Minister of War Huseyin Avni Pasha was shot, and the Foreign Minister Rashid Pasha was killed, as was one of Midhat's servants, named Ahmed Aga.
Midhat Pasha was again appointed Grand Vizier, in place of Mehmed Rushdi Pasha, on 19 December 1876.
Midhat Pasha managed to pressure Abdul Hamid II into approving the constitution, but the Sultan was able to include the notorious article 113, which gave him the power to banish anyone from the empire without trial or other legal procedure.
Midhat Pasha used a charitable association for education, which had been formed by some of Beirut's prominent Muslim citizens, into a centrepiece of his educational reform, and encouraged the formation of similar associations in Damascus and elsewhere.
Midhat Pasha admitted many Arabs in the civil service, including in the positions of qaimaqam and mutasarrif, and gave minorities broad representation in the administration.
Midhat Pasha encouraged the development of the press, and the number of newspapers rose to more than twelve.
Midhat Pasha took an interest in the construction of roads, and in the maintenance of security.
Midhat Pasha involved local notables in the financing of local projects, such as the tramway system in Tripoli and the founding of the Beirut Chamber of Commerce.
Midhat Pasha then resigned the post, as he felt Istanbul was offering him an insufficient amount of support.
Midhat Pasha's reputation in Europe was that his reforming zeal was an aberration, based on individual strength of personality.
Midhat Pasha served briefly in Izmir as governor of the vilayet of Aydin, but on 17 May 1881, after only a few months on that post, he was arrested.
Midhat Pasha was assassinated in his cell on 26 April 1883.
Midhat Pasha is described as a person with a liberal attitude.